Tape dispenser dispensing tape rolls with various sizes

ABSTRACT

A tape dispenser includes a main member, a cutter and a tape roll mount device. The main member includes a base member, on which a first tape roll mount is provided and a shield member pivoted on the base member. The tape roll mount device includes a second tape roll mount. The first tape roll mount includes a gap. The tape roll mount device is fixed to the base member with the second tape roll mount within the first tape roll mount and a space is formed between the first tape roll mount and the second tape roll mount. A big tape roll may be mounted on the first tape roll mount or a small tape roll may be mounted on the second tape roll mount and received in the space with a tape of the small tape roll being drawn out through the gap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tape dispenser, and more particularlyto a tape dispenser that may dispense various sizes of tape rolls.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional tape has a reel and a cutter. A roll of a tape may bemounted on the reel, and the tape of the roll may be drawn out and cutby the cutter. The reel has a fixed size so that only one size of theroll may be mounted on the reel. In other words, the conventional tapedispenser only dispenses one size of tape.

An earlier invention of the present inventor discloses a tape dispenserwith two reels, a big reel and a small reel. The tape dispenser maydispense a big tape roll by mounting the big reel on the small reel andthen mounting the big tape roll on the big reel. The tape dispenser alsomay dispense a small tape roll by taking the big reel off and mountingthe small tape roll on the small reel directly. The tape dispenser hasto assemble or disassemble the big reel whenever various tape rolls areswitched.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a tapedispenser, which may switch various sizes of tape roll for dispensingwithout have to switching the elements thereof.

According to the objective of the present invention, a tape dispenserincludes a main member and a cutter on the main member. The main memberincludes a first tape roll mount and a second tape roll mount. The firsttape roll mount includes a gap and the second tape roll mount is withinthe first tape roll mount and a space is formed between the first taperoll mount and the second tape roll mount. A big tape roll may bemounted on the first tape roll mount or a small tape roll may be mountedon the second tape roll mount and received in the space with a tape ofthe small tape roll being drawn out through the gap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, showing a big tape roll mounted on the tape dispenser; and

FIG. 5 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, showing a small tape roll mounted on the tape dispenser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a tape dispenser of the preferredembodiment of the present invention includes:

A main member 10 includes a base member 12 and a shield member 14 thebase member includes two axles 16 and 18, on each of which a roller 20and 22 is mounted. The base member 12 is provided with a first tape rollmount 24 behind the axles 16 and 18. The first tape roll mount 24 is ahollow cylinder projected from the base member 12 with a U-shapedturning portion 26 at a distal end thereof. The shield member 14 ispivoted on the base member 12 with a slot 28 at a front end thereof, inwhich a cutter 30 and a plate 32 are provided.

Above elements are as same as the conventional tape dispenser. Thecharacters of the present invention are described hereunder:

The first tape roll mount 24 has three holes 34 on the turning portion26, a guiding rail 36 on an interior side thereof and a gap 38 and twobrake devices 40 thereon.

A tape roll mount device 42 includes a second tape roll mount 44 and aconnecting member 46. The second tape roll mount 44, which is a hollowcylinder with a diameter small than that of the first tape roll mount24, includes three hooks 48 at a distal end thereof. The connectingmember 46, which is an annular wall around the second tape roll mount 44with a diameter greater than that of the second tape roll mount 44 andsmaller than that of the first tape roll mount 24, includes three hookdevices 50 on a distal end thereof, a guiding device 52, which is twoparallel rails, on an exterior side thereof and a gap 54.

The tape roll mount device 42 is inserted into the first tape roll mount24 via a back side of the base member 12 with the guiding device 52aligned with the guiding rail 36 and engaged with it that may keep thetape roll mount device 42 in a desired condition into the first taperoll mount 24. After that, the tape roll mount device 42 is pushed intothe first tape roll mount 24 to let the hook devices 50 entering theturning portion 26 and engaging the holes 34 respectively that the taperoll mount device 42 is coupled to the base member 12 with the gap 54 ofthe tape roll mount device 42 aligned with the gap 38 of the first taperoll mount 24. An annular space 56 is formed between the first tape rollmount 24 and the second tape roll mount 44, or it could be said that thespace 56 is between the second tape roll mount 44 and the connectingmember 46.

In operation, user may mount a big tape roll 58 on the first tape rollmount 24, as shown in FIG. 4, and a tape 60 of the tape roll 58 is drawnout through the rollers 20, 22 to be cut by the cutter 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, if a user needs to use a small tape roll 62, he/shejust has to takes the big tape roll 58 off and mount the small tape roll62 on the second tape roll mount 44. The small tape roll 62 now isreceived in the annular space 56 and the hooks 48 of the second taperoll mount 44 stops the small tape roll 62 from loosing from the secondtape roll mount 44. A tape 64 of the small tape roll 62 is drawn outthrough the gaps 54 and 58 of the tape roll mount device 42 and thefirst tape roll mount 24 and the rollers 20, 22 to be cut by the cutter30.

It is obviously that no element should be switched or disassembled whenuser switches the tape rolls with different sizes.

The idea of the present invention may be incorporated in any type oftape dispenser, it is not limited in the embodiment described inspecification. In addition, the second tape roll mount may be molded onthe base member directly, it may be not a part of an independentelement.

The description above is a preferred embodiment of the present inventionand the equivalence of the present invention is still in the scope ofthe claim of the present invention.

1. A tape dispenser, comprising a main member and a cutter on the mainmember; the main member including a first tape roll mount and a secondtape roll mount, wherein the first tape roll mount includes a gap andthe second tape roll mount is within the first tape roll mount and aspace is formed between the first tape roll mount and the second taperoll mount whereby a big tape roll is mounted on the first tape rollmount or a small tape roll is mounted on the second tape roll mount andreceived in the space with a tape of the small tape roll being drawn outthrough the gap.
 2. The tape dispenser as defined in claim 1, furthercomprising a tape roll mount device, on which the second tape roll mountis provided, fixed to the main member.
 3. The tape dispenser as definedin claim 2, wherein the tape roll mount device includes a connectingmember to be fixed to the main member.
 4. The tape dispenser as definedin claim 3, wherein the connecting member of the tape roll mount deviceincludes an annular wall on which a gap is provided and aligned with thegap of the first tape roll mount.
 5. The tape dispenser as defined inclaim 3, wherein the connecting member of the tape roll mount deviceincludes a plurality of hook members to be engaged with holes on themain member.
 6. The tape dispenser as defined in claim 2, wherein thetape roll mount device includes a guiding device and the main memberincludes a guiding rail to be engaged with the guiding device to guidethe tape roll mount device entering the first tape roll mount.
 7. Thetape dispenser as defined in claim 1, wherein the second tape roll mountincludes a plurality of hooks.